Refrigerator doors and door shelves



June 24, 1958 w. E. RICHARD ErAL 2,840,433

REFRIGERATOR DooRs AND DooR sHELvEs 2 Sheets-Shea*I 1 Filed Aug. 11,1954 June 24, 1958 w. E. RICHARD ETAL 2,840,433

REFRIGERATOR DOORS AND DOOR SHELVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToRs rca/wl.

BY 'Mamas r i United States Patent v.O

The present invention lrelates to refrigerator doors and door shelves,and is particularly concerned lwith an 1mproved construction ofrefrigerator doors and door shelves. S

Oner of the objects oft the inventionis the provision of an improvedrefrigerator door and door shelf construction, in which the 'doorshelvesl are wholly detachable without the use of any,toolsso thatconsiderable labor is saved in the construction and assembly of the doorwith the shelves and so `that the shelves may be removed by thehousewife for, washing yand cleaning of the shelves; and washing theinner door panel without encountering Athe door shelves as'obstructions.

Another object of the invention `is .the provision of I an improved doorand shelf assembly in which the shelves serve the additional purpose ofbracing and increasing the rigidity ofthe rinner panel of the door. l

Anotherobject of the., invention is the provision of an improveddoorshelf lconstruction and mode 4of attachment which allows forventilation'by passage of ,air between the shelf and theinner doorpanel, and through the bottom of the vshelves,themselves to promote acirculation of air about the commodities carriedby the n n outer shellare,secured together by meanstofgheaded shelves. i .y

Another object of the invention is the provisionk of an improved Ishelfwhich may be provided with a suitable wire bail for extending upwardlyabove the door shelf land preventing bottles orother long articlesfromtippingolfthe shelf. .y l.

Another objectof the invention is the provision of an improved doorshelf construction and form of attachment to the door panel, whichy isengaged-: more tightly with the door panel by theweight of the articlesacting on the shelf when it isv loaded.

Another object of the invention is the provisionjof .ani

improved door shelf adapted to servey as egg trays, being provided withapertures within which eggs may be seated to prevent them from rollingaround the shelf.

Other objects andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate' views. f Y f Referring to the -twosheets of drawings accompanying this specification, g

Fig. l is a side elevational view of an insulated refrig'erator doorembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an'outside elevational view of the door;

Fig. 3 i-s a top plan viewof the door;

Fig. 4 is atop plankview ofone of the door shelves shown in connectionwith fragments of the inner panel;

Fig. 5 isa front elevational view of one of the door shelf units; y

Fig. 6 is afragmentary lsectional View takenv on the plane of the line 66 of Fig; 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on thesimilar" partsthroughout -the several" -2 planeof the line 7-7 of Fig. 5, looking inthe vdirection of the arrows; and i .Y

Fig. 8 is a Vfragmentary .top plan View` of the door showing the vmodeofassembly of the inner `antlouter doorpanels anddoor seal. n 'jRe'ferringto, Figs. 1 to 3, the insulated refrigerator door {isindicated in its entirety by thev numeral 10,7and it preferablylincludesan. outer metal shell 11, anV inner insulated panel 12, having anvintermediate llingof suitable yfibrousginsulation. Y

The outer'shell 11 may comprise a :stampedqsheet metal member providedwith avfront wall 13 and with arearwardly extending top Wall 14, abottomWallV 15 and .two side walls 16 and 17. v

.Thewalls 14-1?, r,which surround the face panel 13, are provided withan inwardly' extending flange 18 on the back side ,ofthe outer shell tobe .usedin attaching the outer shell to the inner panel 12. *Y

y The outer shell 11 .is preferably madeV of steel. and hasroundedicorners 19, 20 at the top, and relatively square corners 21, 22which are slightly rounded at the bottom.

l The yinner panel 12y of the door is provided with a bordergil'ange23a1l around its edge, which `serves as an attachrrrent,flange4 and. islocated in the same' plane so that it may be attached to the inwardlyextending. attaching angelS onthe outer shell. g 5

The attaching flange 23 of the inner panel terminates short .ofy theouter edgeof the door so that. it maybe mounted ina door seal 24, whichcomprises a resilient rubber memberhaving a rubber attachingflange 25,spacedffrom its main body 26 by a groove .27 whichl receives thev edgesof theinner panel. a

The main bodyof the door seal 24 is hollow/and ovalf in shapey so that,its curved face 28 lmay engagea flat4 face ange fon thevrefrigeratorcabinet to effect an` air tight seal betweenvthe Vdoor and the cabinet.Y. v

The doorseal24, inner panel 12 and flange ltljofy the threaded members29, which engage resilient nutsi30- on, the inside ofthe shell flange18. n ,z Thus theheads ofthe threaded members 29 are llocated beneaththedoor seal body 26 and the shell is` attached;

to the inne r,. .panel at regularly spaced points alliaround theexterior of theinner panel, forming a closed containerforthei-nsulatiomVVA Y .t r v Y The inner panel- `12 is preferablymolded out of a paper,

, base fiber which =is .laminated` andimpregnated with a phenoliccondensation compound and coated on lthe inlcenter 33 of the door.Thisgives the inner panel van. l

inward curvature which tends to stiften it .and surround; the inwardcurvature with an outwardly bulging rectangular frame near the attachingflange. y 3,.

The inner panel 12 may be made all of o-ne piece orv it may be made oftwo separate sections, tongue and grooved together midway ybetween thetop and bottom of the door. Y n Y The door seal 24A mayA be made of asingle molded resilient rubber member/,or it may be' made up of oneormore lengths of the door seal material'mitered at thea corners and`suitably joined together by means of rubber..

cement. Y f f.

kThe-door is preferably provided at the top of its innerV panel with' amultiplicity of air ventilation openings34` .'.L f. f ,J ,Y .f .l si andwith a similar number of openings 35 at-thebottom of the door at thebottom corner.

Thrse Opsninsspermit air .tovcitsulate through the Vinsulation,"andthe"freezing 'action of the evaporator in the refrigerator serves to freezeout the` moistr'ei in' they'Y air @and lsvlhe, iusulationfdlry andtecitive Y. e he y'dishedportion of theinrrerjpanellZ'providesspace ,fora multiplicity orfshelves 3 6;38',`thre`e of I) vliielrare showng'butinanynumberof which may beiemployed,

v4The shelvesfarefpreferably' moldedfout of initially plasticmaterialf'r' molding powder, and one of the Ishelf nitsisfshowninFigsj#and 5. i l

Each shelf unit is provided lwith 39,1 which is integrally ljoined to anornamental `front 40,"5thelatter extending upward atright'angles'.

"The bottom wall 39 may ,becurved at 41, along its rear edge tocorrespond to the curvatureofthe dished portion First theu top` of theshelf is tilted forward toward the v 33 lof the 4inner'` panely V12;but` the'V curved edge 41 is `spaced from the inner panel 12 byarplurality offoutwardly extending lugs' 42","43 at each end,- and 44,45 intermediate the ends.

f Thelugs 44, 4s areca'red bythe Bottom wall Vas, and e they have'areinforcing :connection with thebottom wall inthe form-of tapered ribs46.` i Y. l Thus the bottom wall 39 is spaced from the inner panel,leaving a crack 47 forl passage of airandv facilitating the circulation`of air to'c'ool the productscarriedbythe shelves.:` 'Y Additional aircirculation through the 'bottom wall`r39 is` permitted by amnltiplicityof staggered ,circular apertures 48, located in the rbottomwall39, and also servin to seat eggs when a shelf-is used as yan eggrack.

- The inner panel `12 is :provided with a pair of rectangularapertures-.49, Fig. ,7, for passing a downwardly hooked extension 50,which is carried by each lug 44 anl`45f.V Each lug 44,"45 has a`downward extension 51 belowfthe` hooked extension 50 for engaging behindthe'inner panel12.

The length of the aperture above 'the hooked extension 50 is sufcientstopass the entire hook'edfexrtension 50 when'the bottomwall 39 is tlexedorbentjupward;` and this makes thelbottom wall "quickly detachable bybending its'hooks upward; i

The front wall 40 of each :shelf unit maybe straight andjritis `providedwith a pair of-"inward' bevels 52,' 53, joined at a'center line 54forornamental purposes. At Aeach end the front wall Ml'curves/'inwardtoward the inner door panel 12,-andY has a roundedcomer at 55' and 56,and a thickened end wall 57 and 58;` This thiclr-v enedend `wall mayactually'be hollowand is formed with" two? thin walls 59 and 60, theedges 61 ofwhich are curved to lit against the outward bulge 32 of theinner panel 12.` i

The inner panel 12 is provided with apair of `'r'.:ctangular apertures62,l located tofreceive outwardly" extending lugs V63, carried by eachend wall 58.

wardly extending hook 65. 'Theapertures 62, Fig. 6, are

long enough in; a verticalldirectionlto'pass the entire lugA when theentire shelf unitV 63, with its upward hook 65 is moved downward.

i y. Thus` each end ofthe shelf unit` is provided near upper` edge withlugsvr63 `for engagement with the inner To take a shelf unit' offthebottom'39 is bent upward near its middle portion, thusimoving bothhooks 50 up ward until the hook 51 clears the aperture 49 in each case.

Then the bottom of the shelf is pivoted away from the door panel, movingthe lower hooks 50 out of the apertures 49. r

When this has been accomplished the bottom of the shelf is free and theentire shelf may be moved downward, the lugs 63 at eachfend movingdownward until the panel edge at the.holes62 moves out ofthe groove 66.

Then the lugs 63 lmay bewithdrawn from the apertures 62, thus freeinglthe shelf unit at each end and at the top. y

It is a great advantage `to be able to removethe shelf unit because thenthe inner door panel maybe wiped clean of its entire area withoutleaving a streak ofdirt where the shelf bottom is and where the'shelf isattached.

The shelf also maybe cleaned separately with soap and water and replacedas follows:

door' panel 12, and both lugs 63 are inserted in the apertures v62 andmovedupward untiltheu groove 66 receives the panel at the edge oftheapertures 62, as shown in Fig. 6.

"Thelbottomi39fiscurvedinward "toward thel door panel 12, the beveledsurface 67 engaging the bottom upward at each hook V50.

of apertures 49. Hooked `extensions 50 will not pass into lapertures, 49until"`the Abottom 39 is actually bent "After the hookedextensions 50have entered the apertures .49 `the bottom 39' is'permitted to benddownward again' intola straight,cndition, causingthe depending hooksf51toiengagetheinside of the inner panel 12.

Thusv each shelf unit isquickly attachable and quickly detachable,saving the"expense of threaded bolts and other fasteners, and saving thelabor of securing these parts together withthreaded members.

Y Thelugs 63 are shown ,in section'in` Fig'. 7, Vand actual-` lycomprise an inwardly extending portion 64 and an upf i `Each`shelf with'its engaging lugs 4 4, 45, and 57, 58 tends to stiffenV the inner panel12 and to reinforce it against bending; and it thus becomes unnecessaryto use yanyotherbraces than the shelves lfor. bracing the door and Vthe`innerpanel against warping or bending. Y

It will'thus be'observed that we havev invented an improved ,doorconstruction whichmay bemanufactured very low in cost andA`wliichrequiresa minimum amount of labor in its assembly and hasaminimum number of parts. A C

`The present shelves may be removed at `will by the user, thus'facilitating thecleaning of the shelves and inner panel; and they maybereplaced with a minimum amount of labor. Y y v, Y

"f While we -have illustrated a preferred embodiment of our invention,many modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit of theinvention, and we do not wish to be limited tothe precise details ofconstruction set forth, but `desire to avail ourselves of all changeswithin the scope of the 4appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim las new and desire'to secure `by Letters Patent of the United States, is: i

i A refrigerator cabinetVdoor-panel which is outwardly .bowed fromfthe`cabinetV and' inwardly recessed for shelves, and which comprises anintegral insulating panel of sheet material adapted toV cover the insideof a refrigerator door, said panel removably supporting a plurality ofshelf units extending into the recess of said panel and projectingoppositely toward the cabinet, each shelf .unit having anaperturedbottom wall, a side wall and two end walls, the bottom wall andend walls` conforming to the curvatureof the. panel, said shelf `unitscarrying a plurality of rigid supporting lugs having bodies projectingthrough lug apertures inthe panel while the unit engages the front ofthe panel, each lug having av hook-shaped end engaging the back of Vthepanel adjap cent each lug aperture, thev lug Lapertures being of suchvlength and clearance vertically that the hook-,shaped ends may passthrough' the lug apertures; there 'being a pair of lugs, one at each endwall of the shelf near the top thereof, with an upwardly extending hook,and there being another pair of lugs carried by the bottom wall of theshelf intermediate the shelf ends, each having a downwardly extendinghook, the said lug apertures being located in alignment with the bodiesof said lugs with the vertical clearance of each lug aperture extendingoppositely to the hook end of its lug, the said shelf unit beingresilient and bendable centrally to permit one pair of lugs to beinserted and hooked in their apertures upwardly, and thereafter bendingthe shelf until the other pair of lugs have their hooks passed throughtheir apertures, the latter lugs springing down with the straighteningof the shelf, until the two pairs of hooks are oppositely secured in thepanel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,803,016 Harsted Apr. 281931 2,074,438 Swedman Mar. 23, 1937 102,562,056 Norberg July 24, 1951 2,562,057 Norberg July 27, 1951

